Can I photograph IC 1805 Heart Nebula from a city?

It is possible: it works from a suburb; a darker site gives a much cleaner result.

Which smart telescope is best for IC 1805 Heart Nebula?

None of the smart telescopes we track frames it well in one frame; plan a mosaic or a crop.

When is the best time to photograph IC 1805 Heart Nebula?

It is highest around midnight in October and best placed for the northern hemisphere. From 52° north it climbs to about 81° at most.

Target guide · emission nebula

IC 1805 Heart Nebula with a smart telescope

IC 1805 Heart Nebula is a emission nebula about 150 arcminutes (2.50°) across. It is highest around midnight in October, best placed for the northern hemisphere, and works from a suburb; a darker site gives a much cleaner result. It is larger than every native frame we track, or too small to fill one, so plan a mosaic or a crop.

Key facts

Catalogue	IC 1805
Type	emission nebula
Apparent size	150′ × 150′
Position (J2000)	RA 2.54 h, Dec 61.5°
Highest at midnight	October (±2 weeks)
Sky needed	Suburban sky

In the best-matching frame

IC 1805 Heart Nebula (blue) inside the native frame of Seestar S30 (2.14° × 1.21°).

Simulate your photo of Heart Nebula →

Imaging tips

This type glows in the specific colours of hydrogen and oxygen. If your smart telescope has a dual-band or light-pollution filter, use it: it blocks much of the city glow while letting the nebula through. Heart Nebula is a reasonable target from the suburbs.

Which smart telescope frames it best

Telescope	Field of view	Fit	Mosaic
ZWO Seestar S30 Pro	3.99° × 2.24°	larger than the frame	1 × 2 = 2 panels
DWARFLAB DWARF 3	2.93° × 1.65°	larger than the frame	1 × 2 = 2 panels
Vaonis Vespera Pro 2	1.6° × 1.6°	larger than the frame	2 × 2 = 4 panels
Vaonis Vespera II	2.5° × 1.4°	larger than the frame	2 × 3 = 6 panels
Vaonis Vespera 3	2.5° × 1.4°	larger than the frame	2 × 3 = 6 panels
ZWO Seestar S50 Pro	2.45° × 1.38°	larger than the frame	2 × 3 = 6 panels
ZWO Seestar S30	2.14° × 1.21°	larger than the frame	2 × 3 = 6 panels
DWARFLAB DWARF mini	2.13° × 1.2°	larger than the frame	2 × 3 = 6 panels
Celestron Origin Mark II	1.32° × 0.75°	larger than the frame	3 × 5 = 15 panels
ZWO Seestar S50	1.29° × 0.73°	larger than the frame	3 × 5 = 15 panels
Unistellar eQuinox 2	0.76° × 0.57°	larger than the frame	5 × 6 = 30 panels
Unistellar eVscope 2	0.76° × 0.57°	larger than the frame	5 × 6 = 30 panels
Unistellar Odyssey	0.75° × 0.56°	larger than the frame	5 × 6 = 30 panels
Unistellar Odyssey Pro	0.75° × 0.56°	larger than the frame	5 × 6 = 30 panels

Mosaic planner

Heart Nebula is larger than the frame of some smart telescopes. A mosaic covers it with several overlapping frames that are stitched together afterwards. Pick a telescope to see the layout.

Telescope

Seestar S30 Pro · 3.99° × 2.24°: 1 × 2 = 2 panels Each panel needs its own exposure, so plan about 2× the imaging time of a single frame.

Calculated with 15% overlap between panels and a 10% margin around the object, with the frame lined up along the object's long axis. When the object is longer than the short side of the frame we always count at least two panels, because on an alt-az mount the frame turns during the night. Whether a telescope has a built-in mosaic mode depends on its app and firmware; you can also shoot the panels separately and stitch them yourself.

How high it gets from where you live

Highest altitude above a flat horizon. Below about 20° the image suffers from haze and light pollution; trees and roofs often block it completely.

Latitude	Highest altitude
Oslo, 60° N	89°
Amsterdam, 52° N	81°
Madrid, 40° N	69°
Miami, 26° N	55°
Equator	29°
Sydney, 34° S	never rises

See if it clears your own horizon tonight

Nearby in the sky

Objects close to IC 1805 in the sky, so you can image them in the same session.

IC 1848 Soul Nebula emission nebula, 2.5° away
NGC 869 Double Cluster open cluster, 4.6° away
M103 open cluster, 7.2° away
NGC 457 Owl Cluster open cluster, 9.7° away
IC 342 Hidden Galaxy spiral galaxy, 10.2° away
IC 63 Ghost of Cassiopeia emission nebula, 11.2° away

Questions and answers

Can I photograph IC 1805 Heart Nebula from a city?: It is possible: it works from a suburb; a darker site gives a much cleaner result.
Which smart telescope is best for IC 1805 Heart Nebula?: None of the smart telescopes we track frames it well in one frame; plan a mosaic or a crop.
When is the best time to photograph IC 1805 Heart Nebula?: It is highest around midnight in October and best placed for the northern hemisphere. From 52° north it climbs to about 81° at most.

Object data: Messier catalogue via d3-celestial (BSD-3); NGC and IC objects from OpenNGC (CC BY-SA 4.0). Altitudes and dates are calculated, not observed.